How NCAA head coach CJ Marottolo finds talented players for Sacred Heart

If you're a good player, coaches at the next level will find you.

That's an axiom you might hear a lot in hockey, but for Sacred Heart coach C.J. Marottolo, it's a truism that pays off for him again and again in building one of the most competitive programs in Atlantic Hockey.

"There's good players in every league," Marottolo told Elite Prospects. "From what I've seen, every year the coaching in every league gets better too. So whatever league a kid is in, he's gotta try to dominate that league to get noticed to go to the next level. Whatever league it is."

However, he says, "dominating" can take on many different forms. It's not just scoring, it's also being the kind of player coaches count on in the final minutes of a one-goal game, to win important draws, to kill penalties, and so on. And that's in any league; being dominant in the NAHL or BCHL tells coaches plenty about what a player brings to the table.

Of course, many players may be disappointed, feeling that their college dreams are being derailed if they don't make a USHL team at 17 or 18 years old. But that's just not the case, even in the new and ever-evolving NCAA landscape.

"Where you play is not the end-all, be-all," Marottolo said. "Just be great where you are and control what you can control. Fighting through adversity is a characteristic trait that, at the end of the day, will help you not only as a player but as you move on in life. Fighting adversity, fighting through hard times because life ain't easy." 

That philosophy even applies to players who may not have the specific roles they're looking for with a given team. College coaches look for the "first on, last off" type of players who are always working to develop their skills.

"Just keep working on your weaknesses — and also your strengths —  just to keep getting a little bit better," he said. "All of that adds up. If you're 1 percent better every month, you add it all up and you're 6 percent better than you were at the end of the year."

Likewise, players need to recognize the path to their preferred next level of hockey is not linear. There are plenty of players who make it even as far as college hockey who need to work year over year to prove to coaches that they can be contributors, and work their way from the third or fourth line to top-line minutes to become high-scoring players.

"You have to immerse yourself in the situation, you can't feel sorry for the situation," Marottolo added. "If you feel you're getting overlooked or not getting an opportunity, it's hard. But that's a mental toughness that you have to believe in yourself, believe the coach is there for you to push you out of your comfort zone to be the best you can be. It's very shortsighted, but that's the way you have to approach it."

In fact, being in a situation that may not seem desirable over the summer could prove to be the best possible thing for a player's development, because they might get more ice time or bigger responsibility. Is it better to be on the fourth line in the CHL or the first line in the BCHL? The answer is different for every player.

"People get so wrapped up in playing in a certain league that they lose sight of different things along the way that could be instrumental in their development process," Marottolo said.

Most players making these decisions in the offseason with the hopes of getting to NCAA Div. 1 hockey one day have six, seven, or more years of development and physical growth still ahead of them.

Every season should therefore be viewed as a step in the overall journey. The destination stays the same even if the path diverges. It's all about making the most of every opportunity you get.